Bacolod Sex & Dating Options

Anyone who is hoping that sex in Bacolod is based on the bar-girl prostitution model that can be found in numerous locations on the Southeast Asia tourist trail is going to be a little disappointed with this place.

If you are thinking of visiting Bacolod, you should keep in mind that this is more suited to regular living, but that's not to say that there's no fun to be found.

One big bonus with Filipina ladies is the ease of talking to them since they nearly all speak English. That opens the door to easily meet regular ladies at:

The Bacolod nightlife is very low key and there really isn’t that
much going on except for special occasions such as music festivals and
the like, so this might be a place to avoid if you are looking for
somewhere to party with for a couple of weeks.

Of course, one
man’s meat is another man’s poison, and there are doubtless plenty of guys
who will enjoy the peace and serenity that is available.

Most of the best bars in town are located on Lacson Street, with a few more options to be found at the Goldenfield Complex.

The city is located on the north-western tip of the island of Negros in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is by far the main urban conurbation on the island, with a population of around half a million, but the Bacolod nightlife feels like it belongs to a small town.

Some old mansion ruins to the north of the city, how exciting...

Despite the lack of thrills at night, Negros has attracted an expat
community and I think that it should be regarded as more of a retirement
destination than a holiday destination.

If the Visayas region interests you, but the lack of nightlife in
Bacolod City deters you from investigating this island, you might like
to have a read of my report about Cebu nightlife, which is another island location located about 70 kilometers away.

Bacolod
does have a selection of restaurants and bar/café type establishments
to choose from, and you can find some quality western food in those
establishments.

I’ve written on my main page about Filipina girls that the local food does
not tend to regarded too highly by westerners, but there are exceptions and the bad reputation certainly doesn’t apply to
the western food prepared here.

Bacolod Escorts & Prostitutes

There isn’t much of a dedicated red light district in Bacolod city, but the Goldenfield Complex does have a few bar-girls here and there.

Street-prostitution is also definitely present, and you will probably get propositioned by the local hookers. This will happen in the daytime and at night wherever people congregate.

Bacolod Public Plaza usually has hookers hanging around who will ask for something like 1,000 PHP for their services.

There are no dedicated Bacolod escort agencies to be found online and even the big sites, that cover multiple areas of Southeast Asia, turned up very few options.

There are a few call-girls operating as independent escorts but, as always, you will need to pay at least double what you would need to pay for alternative P4P options.

Bacolod Public Plaza, watch out for hookers here...

There is also a lack of bar-girls or bikini-bars in the city, so P4P
fans are really going to be disappointed with the scarce options that are
on offer.

I have been informed that there are plenty of happy ending massage opportunities in Bacolod. If this is of interest to you then the 'Majikan Spa', which can be found on Hernaez Street, might worth a look - as are the Spa Ilonggo, Cura Spa, Duke Spa, Kundalini, and most any Majesty Spa.

Bacolod Girls

Meeting regular girls in Bacolod is easy enough to do, and given that there are a significant number of western expats on Negros I’d imagine that a bunch of them are here because they’ve gotten themselves romantically attached to someone.

One advantage of having a much smaller P4P industry is that the Bacolod nightlife presents opportunities to meet regular girls in the bars, cafes, and other establishments that are open at night.

You’ll find that Catholicism is taken even more seriously in the Visayas region than it is in other areas of the Philippines, and that may be due to the lower level of economic development and the traditional way of life.

If you are looking for a long-term love interest then make sure you avoid the bars; the girls there come with too many risks. A trustworthy dating site is a better option, so see:

That being the case, in the event that you do meet someone who wants to
pursue adult relations, it’s a good idea to make sure that you bring
your own condoms.

The church has been highly successful in ascending the law in a way
that frowns upon the use of condoms. Whilst they are perfectly
legal, many shops refuse to sell them for fear of being castigated by the
church.

After all, we wouldn't want these men of God to suffer a loss of income via fewer births (and therefore lower demand for baptisms) now would we?

Cost of living in Bacolod

Here’s where the news gets good! The cost of living in Bacolod, and on Negros generally, is lower than anywhere else that I’ve found in Southeast Asia.

Prices are seriously low. For a general idea of just how cheap it is, think Bangkok and then half it!

If you
enjoy a drink then pay particular attention to the difference in those
costs. In Bacolod, beer is almost 80% cheaper than in Bangkok, and
Bangkok is cheap by western standards!

Rental accommodation is also way
cheaper, and I imagine that this also explains why western expats are
opting for retirement on Negros.

Keep in mind that without the local nightlife having the pulling power on your wallet that it might do elsewhere in Southeast Asia, your wallet will also benefit from a few extra nights in.

All in all, you can live comfortably in this part of the world with a rock-bottom income.

Crime and Safety

Here’s where the news gets less good!! A recent spate of violent crimes against westerners, including several murders on Negros, is causing a lot of concern about rising crime levels.

Whilst the overall stats on crime and safety are low and western expats in the area tend to have very little concern over crime, I can’t shrug the idea that there are genuine reasons for some concern.

For a YouTube review of 4 murders of western men in 2018, see the video:

Another cause for concern is that the local authorities are not completely in control of the island, and a communist rebel group has been responsible for a number of killings of government troops.

I’m not inferring that you’d be stepping into a war-zone by visiting Negros, but neither am I convinced that it is as safe as some sources might lead us to believe... just my opinion.

There was one high profile murder case recently where a western man was shot dead in the street after a local Filipino man was angered by the westerner’s refusal to buy beer for him...

I can’t comment on the particulars of this story, and I hope that the murderer suffers the full weight of the law, but I do believe that these sorts of incidents are very rare and generally avoidable if handled appropriately. For more info on this and some words of wisdom about how to behave, have a look at this report.

The incidence of losing-face is very serious in the Philippines and it is always dangerous to be the cause of it, so keeping a cool head and polite manner is the way to protect yourself and live a calm, peaceful life.

Note from a reader:

I was reading your assessments on Bacolod and thought to add a few provisos for your consideration… I think that the safety concerns on the island are a bit overblown.

Yes, there are NPA folks humping their way around the island out in the boondocks, but largely these guys aren't getting anywhere with their policies, and, to be honest you’re in greater danger of being killed if you're a Filipino native male from the government's own military and police agencies than if you're a foreigner.

Farmers who protest, NGO operatives, social workers, some political positions, and any attorney involved in human rights and social justice concerns, are in greater danger than you, the retired foreigner.

My wife is a really frightened type in terms of her safety and if she is comfortable here, well...anyone else would be. Granted, we live in a comfy gated subdivision with guards at gates, and roaming the walled area of our subdivision.

Restaurants and drinking for two people going out can be as cheap as US$7 on the cheap, but for more non-Filipino bars and western style cuisine (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, fusion, Japanese), we usually only drop about $20 for dinner for the two of us. Filling, at least two drinks for me (cocktails are anywhere from $2 to $5 at the top-end, beers typically around $1.25-1.35 or so.

I've joked with my wife that if she ever got too strident and difficult (sometimes), I wouldn't even have to look very far to replace her with a comely local lovely. Not that I'd look to, but there are attractive women for marriage purposes and I don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel in the squatter villages or beer bars to find engaging conversation.

But... I'm married... mostly happily. Mostly.

Bob

Bacolod final thoughts

For anyone who is looking for a low cost of living in a tropical city with all the basic necessities of life, Negros Island has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, the Bacolod nightlife scene is not going to satisfy too many westerners if you enjoy partying the night away with members of the opposite sex.

There is also some concern over crime and safety, but that shouldn’t be overstated and there are ways to behave that will greatly reduce your chances of landing yourself in a dangerous situation.

This petite little cutie from Manila is 28 years old and 154cm tall (5ft). She tips the scales at just 42kg... and she's typical of the lovely girls that you'll find on: